A sauna and an igloo

So everyone KNOWS that the South is hot. But let me tell you, it’s HOT here. Apparently we were lucky enough to move here right when the heat hit its peak. According to the locals, July was “comfortable.” I’m pretty sure what I am feeling right now goes beyond “uncomfortable.” I feel like I am in a sauna and the thought of even opening my eyes to say to the person next to me, “It’s hot” seems like too much effort. Maybe I could get used to it if I didn’t have the luxury of air conditioning at school all day. It seems that Southerners love to take advantage of their luxuries; every building in this city feels to be at a very chilly 50 degrees. I can’t handle these extremes – sauna at night (no air conditioning in the sublet), igloo during the day (constant sweater weather). How about a happy medium?

The number you are trying to reach...

For the millions of you who have called me and have not received any reply, there is a reasonable explanation. My phone of a week and a half has broken. What, you ask, how could I be so irresponsible? Well, little did I know that if you charged this phone all of the buttons would stop working. Great. New city, no phone. But don't feel too bad for me. I am writing this entry on my new computer. The perks of being a teacher.

Georgia on my mind...

Bill, Lola, the car, and I all made it to Athens in relative peace. We left Saturday night after a good-bye game of 90s Trivial Pursuit with the great friends we made in Boston. My team lost miserably as usually is the case for the unfortunate team I am placed upon. Trivia is not one of my strong-suits. Though I did actually come through this game with an unexpected Phil Collins answer; I’m not completely unreliable.

The drive went very well. The car and Lola were both on their best behavior. The newest Harry Potter book helped the time pass. I’m not very far though because I had to read it aloud to Bill so we could be at “the exact same place”. (What we’re going to do now that his eyes are not on the road, I have no idea.) We pulled up to the sublet at 2:00 Sunday afternoon, unpacked the car, and fell asleep for 3 hours.

At 7:00, we decided it was necessary to celebrate our 2-year anniversary which we did with a dinner out and a $30 bottle of wine. While walking downtown, we have our first real glimpse of Athens in the summer and there’s only one word to describe it: empty. Calling this a college-town is no understatement. It appears that the college makes the town or at least the downtown section as least.

The irony of the trip: after all of our (understandable) worry about the car making it to Georgia safely, the only problem we encountered wasn’t during the trip at all. We woke up to find the driver-side mirror demolished. At least this fix won’t involve any buses to White Plains.

La de da da Life Goes On

Sometimes it seems that life is trying WAY too hard to teach a lesson. I’m fairly certain that was the case as I dealt with the car for the past month. After three trips to White Plains, NY and three unique ways of breaking down, I’m still unsure what the lesson I’m supposed to learn is. That I am very fortunate to have a car at all? That I am lucky to have loving family that will take me in and risk their life in a car with a weak track record? Maybe I can just sum it up as… I’m lucky. I have so many blessings in my life and having a car out of commission is a relatively small problem when compared with what I do have. As we move through another transition that will put us in Georgia for at least two years, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We’ll update you with our new information as soon as possible.

CAR-ella DEVIL

I will no longer accept any reference to the Saturn that I used to affectionately call “Buddy” except “The Devil.” The Devil is trying to ruin my summer and all the carefree feelings that accompanies it.

The plan was easy enough. After returning the rental car we would pick up The Devil and return to Boston. Bill called last week to make sure this plan was sound only to learn that the mechanics father had died and The Devil would not be ready until Tuesday. All right, a complication… we have gotten good at these. New plan: return the rental, take a 6-hour Greyhound bus trip back to Boston, and on Tuesday Beth will take ANOTHER 6-hour Greyhound bus trip back to White Plains and return with The Devil.

I went to pick The Devil up yesterday from good old White Plains, New York. Things did not go smoothly. The bus trip was fine; the walk to the auto shop was fine; picking up The Devil was fine; driving The Devil away from the auto shop was fine; 5 miles later, things were not fine. The Devil overheated and I was once again stuck in White Plains, NY with a broken-down Devil.

Apparently, The Devil has fallen in love with White Plains and refuses to leave, while I now detest White Plains. The Devil left me high and dry waiting for my third Greyhound bus trip in 4 days. And while I do recommend that everyone take the Greyhound at least once, (I saw a lady take two huge gulps of olive juice before popping an olive in her mouth) I do not suggest making a habit of it.

Car Troubles

Twice a year Bill and I can no longer fight the urge to see our families so we hop into the Saturn for the 18-hour 1,200-mile ride to Appleton. We have made the trip quite a few times now and have become confident with our abilities. We stop for gas and switch drivers every 4 hours. We know the CDs that will help pass the time and both have our energy drinks of choice. We know bringing the cat is not a good idea and have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will get lost trying to get onto the Chicago toll road no matter how many times we look at the directions.

So imagine our surprise when 4 hours into our most recent trip home, things started to go awry. The temperature gauge made a beeline to the scary red part and everything started to go downhill. Bill suggested we pull-off and check out the engine. After popping open the hood, he made the following conclusion: there was a suspicious creamy foam coming out of the car and the car was still running even after it was turned off. What did this mean, “I have not idea, but I know it’s not good.” We waited for the engine to stop running and then drove the car to the nearest gas station. And then the next gas station because the first was not helpful. A friendly tow-truck driver at the second gas station told us we probably needed the radiator flushed which, of course, we couldn’t do until morning so just keep driving and add the proper liquids as needed until tomorrow morning. Bill and I began discussing the implications of this plan, when gas station owner, Tony, came over.
Bill: There’s something wrong with our radiator.
Tony: Yeah? Where are you going?
Bill: Wisconsin.
Tony looks at the engine: Not in that car you aren’t. I’ve got a friend. Let me give him a call.

An hour and a half later, Tony’s friend, Louie, pulls up to check out our car.
Louie: Oh. This doesn’t look good. I’m sorry; I can’t fix this.
Bill: We’ve got to get to Wisconsin.
Louie: Well, I feel real bad for you. I’ve got this friend…

An hour later we paid $80 in cash to stay overnight in a sleazy hotel, our car is parked in a parking garage with Louie’s friend watching it, and we are no closer to getting to Wisconsin.

The next morning, Bill and I come up with a plan: we’ll take a cab to the county airport, rent a car, get the Saturn towed, and be on our way.

The cab ride goes smoothly. Renting a car does not. I am 4 months shy of the 25-year-old age restriction and the computer has caught my lie.
Rental Guy: Are you aware that there is a $50 per day “Young Drivers” fee?
Beth, with a big sigh: Yes.
Rental Guy: That will be $1250.
Beth: No. We can’t do that.

30 minutes and a minor crying jag later…
Rental Guy comes our from behind the counter: Hey, for like $100 cash I could wave the “Young Drivers” fee.
Beth and Bill: YES!

Rental Guy comes out to “help us with our luggage,” Bill shakes his hand while slipping him the money, and we’ve got ourselves a car large enough to fit a family of 8.

Our only other snag was that a tow truck wouldn’t fit in the parking garage so Bill and I had to push it out while waiting for the driver, who of course was a friend of the mechanic, who was a friend of Louie.

15 hours later we were in Wisconsin ready to laugh about our run-in with the White Plains mob.

Ha

You can wipe that look off your face now. I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying, “Why am I even looking at this? She hasn’t written since her “Technological” Thanksgiving. There’s no way there will be anything new.” Well I got you didn’t I? And I’ll tell you why you came to this page. 1) Because you finished looking at all the other websites you check every few hours like your e-mail and maybe Facebook or TravelZoo and you are not quite ready to return to what you are supposed to be doing so this is your last-ditch effort to procrastinate a little more. 2) I live a fabulous life and you want to hear my insightful comments on everything that happens to me. Well, lucky you, it’s summer vacation and I am already bored. So visit, and visit often. I’ll be waiting for you.

Technological Thanksgiving

I did this amazing lesson with my students today, or so I thought. We discussed global poverty through an activity produced by the United Nations. Each student read a biography of a teenager from different areas of the world that included information about their lifestyle. Many of the students were surprised by how little these kids had. Then we talked about how much we take for granted and how grateful we should be for these things we sometimes think we are entitled to. The lesson ended with each student making a list of things they were grateful for. It took me until this point to realize the kids had no idea what I was trying to get at. On every single list at least ¼ of the things they were thankful for were some form of technology. But don’t worry, I learned from my mistake. I know now that the kids in my class would rather have their cell phones than three meals a day. Good to know.